


Born to Drive

by Tinker_b3ll3



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Motor Racer Asami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-20 10:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14893028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinker_b3ll3/pseuds/Tinker_b3ll3
Summary: As the daughter of the inventor of the Satomobile, Asami has been driving since she was 14 years old. When Varrick finds out how cool the Satomobile test track is, he gets the idea to make motor racing a sport and spectacle for the public. It's the First Annual United Republic Motor Race Championship. Then it's the Second Annual United Republic Motor Race Championship. There's a little bit of romance, a little bit of action, a little bit of angst.





	1. The First Annual United Republic Motor Race Championship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Writerleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/gifts).



Asami sat behind the wheel of her Satomobile going over her plan once more before the race started. It was a good day for a race. The sun was shining, there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and a light breeze brushed past her. _You couldn’t ask for a better day, she thought. Okay, Asami, it’s time to focus. It’s just another race. You’ve been driving since you were a kid, this is nothing. Forget that it’s the championship. You’ve got this._

She adjusted her goggles and helmet, then gripped the steering wheel and gear shift tighter. She glanced at the crowd and could easily make out Korra and their friends in the stands. There was quite a bit of space between their group and the rest of the crowd. Her girlfriend had insisted on bringing Naga to the track since it was an outdoors event and had promised that the polar-bear dog was a good luck charm, but the other spectators seemed terrified of her. As Asami drove into her spot on the starting line, she couldn’t help but think back to her conversation with the Avatar that morning.

* * *

“Ugghhh, Korra, how do you have so much energy so early in the day?” Asami pulled her blanket back over her head, silently cursing the sunlight pouring through the nearby window.

Korra smiled at her girlfriend’s reluctance, then gently tugged the blanket down and said, “It’s an important day today, and you’ve gotta start getting ready. And it wouldn’t be so hard to get up if someone hadn’t stayed up last night sketching blueprints and analyzing wind effects on the thingamajig.”

“I was trying to figure out how to minimize drag effects on the newest model of our airships and Satomobiles.”

“Which is super important I’m sure, but in more exciting news, today’s the first ever United Republic Motor Race Championship! Now come on, get moving!”

Asami slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Okay, I’m up, I’m up. I get it, it’s a big deal. But you know the race isn’t until later.”

“I know, but I’m excited for you,” replied Korra. But her smile faded, and her happiness seemed to deflate a little. Then she admitted, “I’m also kind of worried about you. I heard about what happened to Yazen Sho the other day. He lost control of his car and it rolled over. They said he died.”

Asami remembered hearing the news on the radio a few days ago. She had always known the dangers of racing but saw it as a hazard that came with the territory and accepted it, just as she’d accepted the danger that comes with being the Avatar’s girlfriend.

She grabbed Korra’s hand and assured her, “I’ll be fine, Korra, I promise you. I’ve got more experience than anybody else on that track. Everything will be fine.” She smirked at the blue-eyed girl and added, “Besides, I gotta make sure I win so I can celebrate with you afterward.” She laughed when Korra blushed and stole a kiss before heading off to the kitchen for some coffee.

* * *

Asami shook her head and focused on the track in front of her. Okay, time to pay attention. I’ve got a race to win. She watched as a dark-haired woman stepped out to the midpoint of the starting line.

The crowd fell silent as the woman raised a black and white checkered flag.

Asami took a deep breath.

In one swift movement the woman swung her arm and the flag down as a horn sounded over the crowd, and the cars were off. The air filled with the squeal of tires and revving of engines.

Asami was immediately cut off by the car to her right, but she let him go. It was only the beginning of the race, and she had time to catch up. As best she could tell, she was in the middle of the pack.

The laps went by rapidly, and Asami worked her way up the ranks. Suddenly, she heard tires squeal louder than usual, and she smelled burnt rubber. She could see one of the other cars had spun out off the track. The car was still upright though, and nobody seemed to be hurt, so she put her attention back on the race. In the chaos of the spinout, she saw an opening, and deftly maneuvered through it. There were only three cars and another 60 laps between her and the Championship.

Asami passed one car, then another. There were 25 laps left now, 20, now 10. She recognized the car in front of her as a Cabbage Corp model. She was attempting to overtake it by speeding around his right side, but as she got closer he swerved in front of her. She scrambled to keep control of the car and avoid him. Slowing down only slightly, she slipped over to the inside of the track, on his left side and slammed down on the gas before he could cut her off again. The last few laps were neck and neck. Sometimes, he’d pull ahead, then she would. No matter what though, she made sure to keep to the inside of the track.

They were on their last lap. There was one more turn before the finish line. It was a sharp left, and she was going to hit it faster than she’d like, but as it came closer and closer, the Cabbage Corp driver struggling to pull ahead, she pulled the hand break and drifted through the turn. At the angle she passed him, she had forced the Cabbage Corp driver to fall back, and she sped up again as the finish line came into view.

She was close, but he was gaining on her. He was right on her tail. She swerved in front of him to keep him from overtaking her but lost some speed doing so. He was almost even with her, and only the nose of her car was ahead. She slammed the gas pedal and got one more burst of speed. She pulled forwards, then the horn blared out of the speakers. The drivers took one more lap to slow their cars down, and as Asami brought her car to a stop, she was breathless. Her nose and cheeks were cold from the wind whipping past her face, and she felt like she could still feel the vibrations of the engine. She had done it. She’d won the race.

The crowd was going crazy. She’d only ever heard a crowd this loud in a pro-bending arena. Dazed, she pulled her helmet off and ran her fingers through her hair before shutting off the engine and stepping out of the car.

Before she realized what was happening, Shiro Shinobi, the pro-bending and race radio broadcaster, grabbed her hand and raised it above her head declaring her the Champion. He handed her a golden trophy and congratulated her before posing with her for a picture for the press.

“Asami! Over here!”

“No! Over here!”

“One quick question, Ms. Sato!”

Asami scanned the faces around her, looking for Korra. She shook Mr. Shinobi’s hand, then Michi’s, her Crew Chief and Team Manager, then Varrick’s. Even the Cabbage Corp driver, in his green race uniform came up to congratulate her.

Eventually, things settled down enough for her to see Korra and her friends waiting by the side of the crowd. As she walked over to them, Korra came running up to her, picked her up, and spun her around in a circle while kissing her over and over. It was a little awkward with Asami’s trophy digging into her side, but she enjoyed the girl’s enthusiasm.

“You did it! You won!” Korra shouted.

“I told you I would.” Asami lowered her voice and whispered into Korra’s ear, “And I can’t wait for our little celebration later.”

Asami was quickly distracted again by Mako, Bolin, and Tenzin’s kids offering their congratulations. But Korra was busy trying to hide her blush and avoiding Asami shooting glances her way.

* * *

“Ugh! Finally, home,” Asami said, feeling exhausted after the day’s events. Straight after the race, she’d held a short press conference at the track, then gone home for a quick shower and change before being whisked off to what felt like every party in Republic City.

It was after midnight, and Asami and Korra had just gotten back to their house from Varrick’s party.

Just as Asami was about to start getting ready for bed, Korra disappeared off to the kitchen and came back with a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of Asami’s favorite Fire Nation Whiskey, and two glasses filled with ice.

“I believe someone asked for a celebration?” said Korra.

“Oohh! You got me flowers, and … you didn’t. Ran Shaw whiskey? I can’t believe you remembered my favorite.”

“Please, babe, after all your anticipation of our own little celebration, you think I’d let you down.”

Korra set the glasses and bottle down on the nightstand then handed the flowers to Asami. She couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Asami looked. The green-eyed girl had done her hair in an elegant half-up style with waves that cascaded down over her right shoulder. Even at the end of the night, Asami’s makeup was still perfectly intact.

Asami stood, leaned forward, and kissed Korra fervently at first, then gently. She felt so lucky to call Korra hers. Despite her hot-headedness, Korra could be extremely thoughtful and sweet when she wanted to, and every time she was, Asami fell for her all over again. She pulled back and stared into Korra’s bright blue eyes.

“I told you I’d win. And that I’d be fine,” Asami murmured, wrapping her arms around Korra’s shoulders.

Korra wrapped her arms around the other girl’s waist, then said, “I knew you would. I just worry about you too much. But you’re fine, you are safe, and you won, and I think my champion racer deserves a cold drink to end the day.”

“Now that is a statement I definitely agree with,” replied Asami.


	2. Chapter 2

**One year later…**

“Korra, you’re going to be late. Tenzin is already waiting at the airship,” Asami reminded.

“I’m almost ready, I just feel like there’s one more thing I need to do.”

The dark-skinned girl snuck up behind Asami and hugged her from behind before planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Good luck kiss!” she yelled.

“Agh! Korra! That was funny the first time, but now you really can’t be wasting anymore time.”

“I know, I just need to give you extra luck since I can’t be here for the race.” She let Asami go, then grumbled, “Stupid Earth Kingdom states. Stupid meetings.”

“Meetings come with being a world leader. I would have thought you’d be used to them by now,” Asami replied.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean they don’t stop being boring. As long as there’s general balance, and no huge crisis, I don’t see why I have to go to them. Besides, I’d much rather see you win the Championship again.”

“You saw me win last year, and you’ve seen nearly all of my other races. Believe me, you won’t be missing anything big. Now, go, the world needs you.” Asami picked up Korra’s bag and began walking her out the door to the car that would drive her to the president’s airship.

“Ugh. Fine. But be careful. I know it’s not a big deal to you, but I still worry every time you get on the track. There’s so many things that could go wrong when you’re going that fast, and it’s just scary.”

“I promise you I’ll be super careful.”

“Okay. Thank you. Good luck babe, take care of Naga,” Korra climbed into the black Satomobile, then yelled out the window, “I know you’ll win! I believe in you! Love you!”

“Love you, too! Be careful! And don’t give Tenzin a heart attack!” Asami yelled back.

As the Satomobile drove out of sight, Korra yelled back, “No promises!”

Asami chuckled and walked back into the now quiet house with Naga.

“Well girl, just you and me now.”

* * *

The next few days passed by quickly, with Asami focusing on work and taking care of Naga. Before she knew it, the morning of the race had arrived. Asami woke up as usual, still a little put out at waking up without Korra, but she pushed that thought out of her head. She had a race to get ready for.

She went through her morning workout, fed herself and Naga, then got ready and headed to the track. The weather had been overcast all week, with sprinkles of rain here and there, but it seemed as if it had finally broken. Rain had been pouring all night and was still falling as she made her way to the track. Luckily, Michi, her Crew Chief and coach, had her practice racing through all kinds of conditions this year, and she felt confident that she’d do well regardless of the weather.

When she got to the track, the rain had let up a little, but the track was soaked. _Can’t really do anything about that. It would take too many benders to get it completely dry, and honestly, I kind of prefer this. It adds a little more excitement_ , she thought.

This track was supposed to be more difficult than last year’s. It had a more irregular shape, with sharper turns and more curves. She and Michi had come up with a plan soon after the track was revealed, and he’d been drilling her on it ever since. As usual, it’s as if Michi had anticipated everything.

As she walked to the back of the stadium, where everybody’s cars were waiting she heard Michi shouting, “Asami, over here!”

Michi was a burly man, with slicked back hair and big sideburns, noticeable even if he hadn’t been shouting at the top of his lungs. He was originally from the Earth Kingdom and had been one of the top Satomobile testers and innovators for the company when her father was in charge. When Varrick had the idea for public races, Asami had kept him on and asked him to be her coach and crew chief. He knew everything there was to know about Satomobiles and had once been a very good friend of her parent’s and was now a good friend of Asami’s.

“Hey Michi. How’s it looking?” Asami asked, inspecting her yellow and red Sato racer.

Michi handed over her keys and answered, “She’s looking good Asami, all gassed up, new tires, the works.” He glanced up at the sky and cursed as raindrops continued to fall. “Damn. I had hoped the rain would wait until after the race. That track’s going to be real slick. I don’t like the idea of the road being wet, especially with that nasty turn at the end.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Asami replied, “Well, it’s a good thing we practiced as much as we did. Don’t frown so much, Michi. We’ve got a plan, I’ve practiced on wet track, and I’ll make sure to keep an eye on that turn. Anyways, you don’t think they’d cancel because of the rain, do you?”

“No, it seems to be letting up, and it shouldn’t be bad enough to cause any real concern. At most you racers just have to adjust your driving, and the spectators will have to bring umbrellas,” Michi conceded. “You have about an hour before you have to be down here again, why don’t you go greet your friends when they get here?”

Asami thanked Michi for his hard work, then jogged over to the front gate to meet Mako, Bolin, and the airbenders, as the rain slowed to a sprinkle every few minutes.

* * *

“Hey, Asami, how ya feelin’?” asked Bolin, as he and Opal lead the group out of the rain.

Everyone had come, Mako and Bolin, Opal, Kai, Jinora, along with Pema and the kids. Looking over the large group, Asami greeted everyone, then answered, “I’m feeling good. It’s a bummer that the rain will probably keep some folks from coming out, but what can you do? We’ve made a lot of improvements on the Satomobile this past year, and I’m excited to show them off. I’m sure I’ll beat every other car out there.”

“At least the rain seems to have stopped now,” said Mako, glancing up at the dark clouds, “and don’t you go getting cocky on us Sato, you still have to actually win the race.”

“Eh, details. Now, come on, I got you guys a place in the skybox.”

Asami led them up the side of the stadium to the V.I.P box seating that housed other company CEO’s, team owners, and the race broadcaster. It was a big room with glass walls showing an amazing view of the entire track. There were indoor and outdoor seating areas, complete with a tea shop and food vendors nearby. It had been Varrick’s idea after a few of his major investors complained about the heat after last year’s race.

Looking out of the glass, Asami could see the stands filling with people and she felt a jolt of excitement as she remembered the cheers of last year’s crowd.

Meelo pressed his face to the glass as well, and asked Asami, “So which car is yours?”

“Well, you know how I asked you what colors to paint it for the race?”

Meelo vigorously nodded his head.

“I took your advice and used your airbenders colors. Mine is the red and yellow one down there. You see it?” Asami pointed out the car.

“Yes! You have good taste Asami, I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Meelo commended, showing the car to Ikki.

Asami spent the next couple of minutes catching up with everyone before it was time for her to head down to her car. They wished her luck and promised to cheer the loudest in the crowd no matter what happened.

* * *

“Welcome, one and all to the Republic City Motor Speedway for the Second Annual United Republic Motor Race Championship! Today is a big day for our drivers and I’d like to personally thank every one of you for coming out despite the rainy weather! The drivers have been preparing for this race all year, and it’s sure to be an exciting one!”

The announcer’s voice came booming out across the crowd. Asami made her way down to the track, watching as more and more people filed in. She was recognized and stopped several times, so the walk down to the track took longer than she expected, but she was glad so many people came out. 

When she finally reached the warehouse that had been built in the empty space in the middle of the track, she started to feel a prickle of apprehension. But as one of her crew members brought her jumpsuit and gloves to her, she pushed that thought to the back of her head. Taking her things, she took her boots off and pulled the jumpsuit on over her pants and muscle shirt. She tugged her boots back on and tucked her pants in, then pulled her gloves on. She was just tying her hair back when Michi walked over to her.

“So, kid, how are you feeling?”

“I’m starting to get a little nervous, but mostly excited. We’ve made a lot of improvements over the past year, I’ve become an even better driver, and I can’t wait for it all to pay off.”

“Michi handed over her helmet and goggles and said, “You’re all set kid. Just watch those turns, remember the roads are slick, and be careful.”

Asami pulled her goggles on and gave Michi a hug. “It’s nothing I haven’t handled before Michi. You worry too much.”

“Hey, I’m your coach kid, it’s my job to worry about you when you’re behind the wheel. One more thing, don’t forget; you were born to drive, kid.”

That last saying was something that Asami had heard almost every time she’d been behind the wheel since she first learned to drive. She doesn’t remember who started it, whether it had been her mother, father, or Michi himself, but it was almost like a good luck charm he’d give her before every race. Asami jumped into the car, tugged on her helmet, buckled on the harness belt, and started the engine. Almost nothing made her feel as good as hearing the roar of her car’s engine. “Thanks, Michi!” she yelled. With that, she made her way to her place at the starting line.

There were 15 other drivers competing today, and Asami was starting somewhere in the middle. To her right she spotted Cabbage Corp’s car, a green racer with a mean-mugged driver. It was a different guy than last year. _No problem_ , Asami thought, _no matter who’s behind the other wheel, I’ll still show him who’s boss_. He winked at her as he drove to his own spot a few cars ahead of Asami.

As the rest of the drivers took their places, Asami closed her eyes and took a moment to steady herself. _Okay, you’ve got this. Just another day at the track. Let’s show them what we can do._

A hush fell over the crowd as the last driver took his place. Asami opened her eyes and gripped the steering wheel with one hand, and the gear shift with the other. A woman walked out, a different one than last year, some actress from Varrick’s movers, and went to the middle of the starting line. She raised the usual black and white checkered flag over her head. With one quick motion, she brought her arm down, a horn blared from above the crowd, and the cars were off.

Asami was immediately boxed out by cars on all sides and forced towards the back of the pack, but she and Michi had planned for this. Since Asami was last year’s champion, they’d assumed that her competitors this year would try to lock her out and keep her playing catch up. But she had more experience than the others and she was confident in her abilities. They were set to complete 100 laps, and she knew she had time to make her way to the front.

The first few laps came and passed without issue, but on the 17th lap, a car ahead of Asami’s spun out near the last turn of the track. The squeal of tires and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air. Sparing a quick glance at him, she saw him hit his steering wheel out of frustration, though she was glad he was okay. The race continued. Asami had been slowly making her way up the middle, but deftly managed to avoid him when she passed. She spotted the opening he left and used it to get closer to the front of the pack.

The wind whipped past her, chilling the exposed parts of her face. She was now in 8th place and was quickly gaining on 7th. The laps blurred one into the other. At the beginning she’d had to go a little slower than she’d like to adjust to the slick track, and she’d slid once or twice, but she’d gotten the hang of it, and was now starting to put on more speed.

With every lap that passed, she learned to use the wet road to her advantage, sliding with the turns rather than slowing down too much. Around the 60th lap, she heard another squeal of tires and glanced out the rearview mirror to see another car had spun off the course. It wasn’t on the last turn, like the first spinout, but was still unexpected. There was smoke coming from the engine, but he scrambled out of the car and seemed mostly unscathed. With two spinouts, the stakes were getting higher, and the prickle of apprehension Asami had felt earlier rose in the back of her head again.

Focusing back on the road, Asami set her sights on passing the next driver in front of her. The last couple of laps, she had gotten stuck at 5th place, unable to find an opening to pass the guy in 4th. As they started a new lap, she spotted her chance. On the next turn coming up, she’d noticed a slight gap before he could hug the wall on the inside curve of the track. It was a risky move, but she needed to make some progress. Slamming down on the gas, Asami’s car roared forward. It was a game of chicken. She got closer and closer, the nose of her car inches away from his tail. Asami grit her teeth, _C’mon, move… don’t be stupid, move!_ Just as she felt like he’d let them crash, he pulled away and she was able to climb ahead.

She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and used her momentum to gain some ground.

Another few laps passed, and Asami was able to weave her way around and past the drivers in 3rd and 2nd place. There were 20 laps and one more driver between her and another championship. As it happened last year, it once again came down to Future Industries and Cabbage Corp vying for the top spot.

Asami couldn’t make a break for it. She and the Cabbage Corp driver had competed in different circuits and this was the first time they had been able to come directly head to head this season. Whoever Cabbage Corp had found this year was a much better driver than last. Every time she tried to get around him it was like he’d sensed her intentions and he’d block her.

One lap passed, then another. She had to do something and do it fast. _Okay, think Asami. He’s anticipated everything you’ve tried so far... so try something else. Something he wouldn’t expect._

Once again, Asami grit her teeth and decided to do something risky. The last turn of the track was coming up, and she had an idea.

For most of the race, everyone had been putting as much space as they could between their cars and the outside edge of the turn. As the turn was coming up, Asami realized that Cabbage Corp’s green racer had been doing the same. She was running out of time and needed to get ahead, and she wasn’t making any progress just trying to pass him. So, she decided to use the outside of the turn to get around him.

Ushering her car forward, Asami moved right up behind Cabbage Corp’s car. She began to shift to the right, when suddenly, the green car lurched toward her, cutting her off at the last second. Asami yanked the steering wheel to try to correct herself, but the wet roads worked against her. Time seemed to stop as she lost control of the car. She’d been going too fast and turned too hard, and the last thing she felt before losing consciousness was dread.

* * *

Mako couldn’t take his eyes off the red and yellow Satomobile as it struggled to pass the green Cabbage Corp racer. Asami had been trying and trying to get around him for a while, and he’d stopped her each time. As they neared the next turn, Asami’s car fell back a little, then put on a burst of speed.

“Don’t do it, Asami,” he whispered as he realized what she was about to attempt.

He watched with bated breath, then yelled when the Cabbage Corp driver swerved in front of Asami. He felt like he couldn’t breathe as she lost control of the car, and watched as it flipped, turning over and over before finally coming to rest upside down in the dirt next to the track.

Turning to the door to rush to the track, he noticed Pema, Jinora, and Ikki turning Meelo and Rohan away from the windows. Bolin and Opal were right behind him as they made their way down.

Running down the stairs, Mako could barely register the announcer’s attempts to calm the audience.

When they made it to the barrier separating the audience from the track, one of Mako’s police force buddies recognized him and let them pass through. The race had been stopped, and the other cars were driving to their pits.

As they got closer, Mako, Bolin, and Opal took in the wreckage. What used to be Asami’s Satomobile now resembled a pile of crumpled metal more than a car. There was smoke coming a fire that had broken out in the engine. Waterbenders were working on putting out the fire, while metalbenders were trying to shift the metal enough to pull Asami from the wreckage.

She wasn’t moving. He tried to run over to her, but Bolin held him back, trying to convince him to let the emergency team do their work.

“Mako, calm down. Yelling at people and getting in the way isn’t going to help Asami,” Bolin said, trying his best to keep his voice steady.

Opal had moved over toward one of the healers on standby and was trying to find out what was going on. She instructed them to take Asami to Air Temple Island, to Kya as soon as they could. Rushing back to Mako, she filled them in on what she knew so far.

“She’s alive. She looks rough, but she’s alive. I told them to take her to Kya. She’ll be able to help.” Seeing the relief on Mako’s face, she added, “I’m going to go tell Kya to get ready. But,” she paused, looking anxious, “… someone’s going to need to tell Korra.”

Bolin gulped as he realized they were about to deal with a very angry Avatar. “Go.” Opal nodded and flew to the island. “Mako, you and I’ll find a way to –” He was cut off by Mako.

“No! I’m not leaving Asami like this. I’m going to stay with her.”

He would have kept going, but Lin came rushing up. She’d organized security for the race and had come as soon as she’d seen what happened. “I’ll use the radio at the station to let Korra know what’s happened. She was meeting with the Earth States’ leaders in Ba Sing Se. You both should stay with Asami.”

As she was about to leave, Mako grabbed her arm, “Thank you, Lin.”

“Yeah, well, I have experience dealing with Korra when she’s angry. You two keep watch over Asami.”

Mako nodded, then rushed over to help the healers however he could.

* * *

“So, as you can clearly see, the Republic of the Earth States’ economy is mending better than anyone could have predicted.”

Korra tried not to yawn as she heard yet another speech about economies and politics. She was glad to hear that the Earth States were doing better, but she didn’t need to know every detail of every import and export and election. So long as there wasn’t an active disaster, she didn’t need to be involved. Especially when she could be watching her girlfriend kick some ass on the racetrack.

“Moving on to the aspect of infrastructure, the walls of Ba Sing Se are… Excuse me, we are in a meeting.” The councilman of something or other stopped midsentence when a servant rushed through the doors.

“I apologize sir, a message for the Avatar has come from Republic City.”

“Can’t this wait until we are finished?” he asked, as Korra rose from her seat, glad to have an excuse to leave, but slightly worried at what could have gone wrong.

“No sir, I was instructed that the matter was urgent.”

Korra declared, “I’m sorry for having to cut this meeting short, but it appears there’s a matter I need to take care of. Thank you, Councilman Chen.” Without waiting for a reply, Korra followed the servant to the communications room.

“So, what’s the emergency?”

The servant, a woman a few years younger than Korra, answered hesitantly, “The message came from Lin Beifong. She just told me to get you, and to tell you that it was an emergency.”

As she finished speaking, Tenzin caught up to them. “What’s going on? Is everything alright?” he asked.

“I don’t know. She said it’s Lin and that it was an emergency.”

“Here we are,” the servant said, “The radio’s in there, please let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.”

Korra grabbed the microphone and asked, “Hello, Lin? Can you hear me? What’s going on?”


	3. Chapter 3

Tenzin was trying to convince himself that everything back home was fine when Lin’s voice came crackling through the speakers.

“Korra, can you hear me?”

“Yes, Lin I can hear you. Tenzin is here listening too. What’s going on, what’s the emergency?”

“Korra. It’s Asami. She’s been hurt.”

Tenzin watched as Korra tensed. He felt wind blowing inside the room and realized Korra must’ve gone into the Avatar state. She was quiet for a moment, and he readied himself to try to calm her down when he noticed the air shift again. It was calmer now. He heard Korra loose a ragged breath, then ask, quietly, angrily, “How?”

“It was during the race. She crashed. There were healers onsite, but they’re taking her to Kya to be safe. Mako and Bolin are with her.” There was a pause, then, “She’s alive Korra.”

A tense moment passed, then Korra said, “I’ll be there soon.”

She turned off the radio then turned to Tenzin. “I’m leaving now and taking the airship. Don’t you dare try to stop me.”

“I would never. Come on, if we hurry we could be there by early nightfall.” He placed a hand on Korra’s shoulder as she moved past him, “She’s going to be okay, Korra. Kya’s going to take good care of her.”

Korra just nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

They gathered the airship crew as fast as they could. Looking out over Ba Sing Se below them, she tried to still her shaking hands and convince herself that Asami would be fine.

* * *

It had been hours since Kya had begun working on healing Asami. Bolin and the others were watching Mako pace the floor and waiting with bated breath for news. Lin had come by for a moment to let them know she’d informed Korra and the Avatar was on her way, but she’d had to leave quickly to get back to work.

At some point, it had started raining again. Thunder cracked, and lightning flashed across the sky. It seemed the rain earlier in the day had only been a preview of the actual storm.

Bolin glanced out the window as another flash of lightning illuminated the night sky. “Do you think it was because of the rain earlier?” he asked.

Mako kept pacing, but his expression grew dark as he answered, “It was that blockhead Cabbage Corp driver’s fault. When she was trying to get around him, he swerved in front of her. He risked killing them both to keep the lead, and she nearly died!” His voice had been getting louder with every word, and he didn’t realize he’d begun shouting. He took a moment to calm down, then muttered an apology.

Bolin spoke up, “But she’s alive. And yeah, that guy nearly killed her, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Now, we just need to be there for her when she needs us. We’ll let Lin figure out what’s going to happen to him.” He paused, and bit his lip, then said, “We’ll also need to stop Korra from going and killing that guy.”

Another clap of thunder boomed, jolting them all out of their thoughts. Mako glanced at the closed door again, hoping for good news, but the door remained shut. He sighed and went back to pacing the floor.

As they waited, they heard something else outside. Faintly, just under the din of the rain, they could make out a sky bison landing nearby. A moment later, the front door flew open, and Korra and Tenzin rushed in. They were both soaking wet and water dripped from Korra’s hair and ran down her face.

“Where is she? Is she okay?” Korra asked, her eyes flicking over every face in the room before settling on Mako’s.

Tenzin rushed to Pema’s side, also looking to Mako expectantly.

He swallowed hard, then answered, “Kya said she’s alive. She’s in there working on her now –”

Korra immediately rushed to the door and went inside. Mako closed the door behind her, then began recounting the situation to Tenzin.

* * *

Hearing the door click shut, Korra searched the room, letting her eyes adjust to the blue light reflecting off the water. Her gaze landed in the middle of the room where Asami was lying in the pool, her eyes closed, and her body submerged. Kya was kneeling next to Asami’s head bending the water back and forth making it glow as she tried to heal as many of Asami’s injuries as she could.

Korra walked closer and knelt on the other side of Asami. She saw a few cuts and bruises on Asami’s face, and many more, along with some burns across her body. Asami was still wearing what Korra assumed where the torn and dirtied remains of her racing suit. She let her eyes drift down Asami’s body, taking in all the damage that had been done. For the most part, they looked they should heal fine after a few healing sessions, but Korra didn’t believe that was the extent of the damage.

The Avatar took a deep breath, as Kya started talking, “It was pretty close for a moment there, but she’s a fighter. A doctor came earlier, and together, we managed to stabilize her.” She paused as she noticed Korra assessing Asami’s injuries. “Her lower body was trapped between the metal, and the car caught fire as we were trying to get her out. She’s going to survive, but there was a lot of damage to her spine.”

Korra nodded then stepped into the water. Turning to Kya, she said, “Is it alright if I try for a moment? I know I’m not as good a healer as you are, but –”

Kya stood and stepped back from the pool. She watched the water’s glow fade then return, as Korra began waterbending.

Korra closed her eyes and focused on the flow of Asami’s chi. It was weak, but still there. She focused on helping the chi flow through the mechanist’s body, but the avatar could tell there was a long path of healing ahead. Asami’s torso seemed to have been mostly healed by Kya, leaving only some bruising and broken ribs to heal. The worst seemed to be the damage to her legs. Asami’s chi was barely flowing through her legs, and that worried Korra.

Opening her eyes again, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the water. Looking over at Kya, she allowed herself to release the tension she’d held since the call from Lin.

“She’s going to live,” she said, as though still trying to convince herself, “she’s going to live. But she won’t be the same, will she?”

Kya shook her head, “No. I don’t think so. That much damage, it’s unlikely she’ll be able to walk again.”

Korra looked at Asami’s face, expressionless and, Korra hoped, free of pain. She turned to Kya, “We should get her out and let her rest. She needs it and there’s nothing else we can do tonight. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

* * *

Together, Kya and Korra carefully removed Asami from the pool, dried and changed her clothes, and with Mako’s help carried her to Korra’s old bedroom.

Korra turned the bedside lamp on and pulled a chair next to the bed as Mako and Kya left the room.

She grabbed one of Asami’s hands and held it delicately between hers. She found herself taking in the face she’d come to know as well as her own. It was paler than she’d ever seen it before, and contrasted sharply with dark lashes, hair, and bruises. Even her lips, which she’d always painted in dark shades of red, were pale.

Korra lifted the hand she held and pressed a kiss to Asami’s knuckles. “You are going to be the death of me, you know that?” she whispered, chuckling to herself. “You don’t even know how scared I was.”

Thunder boomed, and lightning cracked across the sky once more. Korra had completely forgotten about the rain, and the fact that she was still soaking wet. Setting Asami’s hand back down on the bed, she rose and stepped out of the room, murmuring, “I’ll be back soon.”

As she walked down the hall, she ran into Tenzin making a pot of tea.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t bother you,” he said.

“No, no, it’s not you. I just realized I don’t have any dry clothes,” Korra replied, lighting the fire under the teapot with the flick of her wrist.

Tenzin stepped back, then said, “I’m afraid our things aren’t getting here until the morning. But. I’m sure we have something you can borrow.”

“Thanks, Tenzin, but I was just hoping to find a space where I could airbend them dry without waking everyone up.

”

“Ah, yes. There should be enough space in the dining room,” he paused, then added, “go dry off, then come back for some tea. We should talk.”

Korra left, dried her clothes, then returned just as the smell of tea began to fill the room.

Tenzin poured a cup for her, then asked, “How are you doing, Korra?”

Korra swallowed a sip, thought carefully, then answered, “I’m okay now. I was terrified when Lin called us. And, I’ll admit I was angry. I was ready to hurt whoever had hurt Asami.”

Tenzin nodded, “I noticed that earlier. It’s okay to be scared when something like this happens. It’s also okay to be angry. But what I also noticed was how you calmed yourself down. It was only a few years ago, the Korra I knew would have lost control.”

He continued, “I’m proud of you. You’ve grown quite a lot since you first came to Republic City.”

Korra nodded, then said, “Thank you. That means a lot. But, I should be getting back to Asami.”

“How is she? Really?” he asked, adding, “Kya told us enough, but didn’t go into detail.”

Korra set down her tea and rubbed her face with her hands. “She’s in rough shape. She’ll live, but she may not walk again. I’ll be there for her no matter what, just like she was there for me, but I know how hard this is going to be on her.”

Tenzin stroked his beard, the said, “She’s going to need you. I’m just glad she’s going to be okay.” He placed his cup in the sink and turned to go back to his room. “Goodnight, Korra.”

“Night, Tenzin,” she replied, before making her way back to Asami’s room.

She sat back down on the chair next to the bed and held her girlfriend’s hand once more.

* * *

Korra doesn’t know when she fell asleep, but the next thing she knew, sunlight was pouring in through the window from the wall behind her. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, as the grogginess cleared her head.

Asami was still asleep, but some color had returned to her cheeks and lips.

Korra noticed she still held Asami’s hand in hers, then bent down to press a kiss to Asami’s forehead. As she was about to turn to leave, she felt movement in the long delicate fingers entwined with hers. She glanced down in time to see Asami’s hand tighten around hers.

Looking back at Asami’s face, she watched her eyelids flutter, once, twice, before Asami tried to bolt upright, her breathing rapid and panicked, her eyes wide.

Korra moved her hands to Asami’s shoulders and gently guided her back down to the bed, reassuring her, “You’re okay, it’s okay. I’m here. We’re at Air Temple Island. You’re safe.”

Slowly, Asami calmed down, and her breathing steadied. As she lay back down, a bolt of pain shot up her body, and she flinched. When it diminished again, she looked at Korra. She groaned in pain, then spoke. “Augh, that hurts.” She looked at Korra, who furrowed her brow and bit her lip. Asami tried to clear her throat, which turned into a cough. Then, she spoke, her voice hoarse and gravelly, “When did you get here?”

“Lin called me over the police radio. Tenzin and I came back immediately,” Korra answered, adding, “You’re probably in pain, let me go get Kya.”

Asami clung tighter to Korra’s hand in hers, “No. Not yet. Just stay with me for a moment.” Upon seeing Korra’s hesitance, she added, “Just for a moment. It only really hurts when I move. Stay for a moment, then I’ll do whatever you and Kya say.”

Korra considered, then sat back down. She played with Asami’s fingers, then said, “You idiot. You scared me.”

Asami laughed softly, then winced, “Ah, don’t make me laugh. I’m sorry. I thought I could pull it off. Next time I’ll make a better plan.”

“Yeah, well… don’t do that again.” Korra was silent. She didn’t want to upset Asami, but she knew the green-eyed girl would take it better from her. “Asami, you’re lucky you survived. Kya and the doctor saved your life, but they said there was a lot of damage to your spine.”

Korra watched as Asami’s smile faded to a look of confusion. “What do you mean?” She tried to move her legs but felt only pain. She pulled the blanket off her legs and tried with all her might to move first her legs, and when that didn’t work, just her toes. She stared and stared at her feet, hoping, that they’d moved. But nothing happened. She started trying to sit up again but started coughing and had to lay back down.

“Asami, stop! You’re going to hurt yourself more. Please, everything’s going to be okay, just let me go get Kya.”

Tears pooled at Asami’s eyes, though whether they were from pain or sadness, Korra couldn’t tell. Silently, she nodded.

Korra gave Asami’s hand a squeeze before leaving to find Kya.

* * *

Kya gave Asami a tea to help with the pain, and over the next several weeks, Asami had healing sessions twice, then once a day. Her cuts and burns faded to scars, and the bruises disappeared. Kya even managed to fix a lot of the damage to Asami’s spine, enough for her to regain the use of her left leg, but it turned out the damage to her right leg was far more extensive. Even Katara came up to try to help, but she too admitted that it was a slim chance Asami would be able to walk again.

Asami held out hope for as long as she could, but as more time passed, and her leg was still the same, she became despondent. How was she supposed to run her company? How was she supposed to keep up with Korra and her friends if she couldn’t walk? But worst of all, how was she supposed to drive and tinker without her leg? For as long as she could remember, she’d been a mechanic, even before she was an inventor, and the only thing that felt better than tinkering with her car was driving it down the track. Now, she didn’t see how she would be able to do either.

Despite this, Korra was there for her however she needed her. She’d had Tenzin take over Avatar duties whenever she wasn’t absolutely needed and spent as much time as she could taking care of Asami. She also gave Asami space when she needed it. Korra remembered being grateful for the space and comfort Asami had given her when she’d been injured and tried to do the same for Asami.

Korra was also good at getting Asami out of her head when her thoughts turned dark. She kept up hope that Asami would walk again, even when Asami, herself, began to lose hope.


	4. Chapter 4

Nearly a month passed with the industrialist stuck in bed. Asami hated to admit it, but she was losing hope of walking again. Every time Korra helped her into her wheelchair, every time she left a healing session with Kya, she felt worse. But she could see the hope in Korra’s eyes and continued to hold out hope, for her sake.

It didn’t help not being able to move around on her own. At some point during the second or third week after the accident, she’d at least convinced Korra and Varrick to let her do the paperwork part of running the company from home. It was tedious, and boring, but it made her feel like she was still in control of something.

A few weeks later, Kya declared that her leg bone had nearly healed, and she was ready to test whether it would bear her weight. Korra had gone back to her Avatar duties at Asami’s insistence, but Asami asked her to be there for this.

She rolled her wheelchair to the bars that had been set up for her to practice with. She’d made a lot of progress with her left leg, but she still couldn’t feel or move anything below her right thigh. Kya had told her it would be good for her to try anyways.

Korra stood at her side and said, “It’s okay. Take your time.”

Asami looked from Korra to the floor, nodded and took a deep breath. _Okay. Come on. You can do this, Sato._

Slowly, Asami lifted her left leg and place her foot on the floor. Then, she used her hands to move her right leg, and carefully placed her foot on the ground. She swallowed hard, lifted one arm to grasp the bar to the left, and raised herself from her chair with the other. She bore most of her weight on her good leg, then, locking eyes with Korra, she tried to place some weight on her right leg.

She gasped as her leg buckled, and she fell to the floor. She took a moment, as her body was wracked with pain. When it passed, she nodded, and let Korra help her back into her chair.

She tried a few more times, and each try was the same. When she’d had enough, Kya let her go with the promise that she’d practice her leg strengthening exercises.

There was silence as she and Korra arrived home, then she spoke, “Is this what it was like for you?”

Korra bit her lip, remembering those long months in the South Pole, then answered, “Yes. I fell a lot. I got mad at Katara. But she didn’t let me give up. And I’m not letting you give up either.”

Asami swallowed hard, then said, “Thank you. For helping me. I know this must be hard for you."

"Not at all 'Sami "

Asami took a deep breath, and forced her voice to steady, "I'm not giving up. But, can I have a moment to myself right now?"

Korra nodded and murmured, "I'm going to go make some tea." She knew Asami would need some space to process how hard her recovery was going to be.

The green-eyed girl watched her girlfriend turn and leave the room. As the door closed behind her, Asami released a ragged breath and felt the tears she'd been holding back spill over her lashes.

* * *

Each session with Kya passed the same. She’d try bearing weight on her right leg, then she’d fall. She fell every time.

The only progress that made the sessions worth it, was that eventually, she got strong enough to move around on crutches, relying on her left leg and arms. She still couldn’t feel anything below her midthigh in her right leg, but now she could move on her own, and didn’t need to rely on her wheelchair so much.

She was at her latest session with Kya. Korra had had some free time and joined her at the session. Asami moved up to the practice bars. She moved her left hand from her simple wooden crutch to the wooden bar. She leaned on her left leg, as she grasped the bar on the righthand side.

Supporting herself on her left leg and on the bars, she delicately placed her right foot on the ground, still unused to the strangeness of seeing her leg touch the floor but feeling nothing. She slowly shifted her weight from her left to her right, and just as every time before, her leg buckled, and she dropped to the ground.

She put up her hand to keep Korra from helping her up. She’d been working on getting up on her own and could use the practice. In a complex series of moves, shifting her weight, leaning on her left leg, and moving her right with her hands, she managed to pull herself back up, and leaned on her crutches.

She took a minute to catch her breath, and was about to try again, when Korra gasped.

“I have an idea. Asami, stay still,” she said, grabbing the pitcher of water from the table where Kya sat.

The raven-haired girl knew better than to ask questions when the Avatar got an idea, so she did as she was told. Standing as still as she could, she watched Korra bend the water so that it twisted and turned and wrapped itself around her right knee and ankle, then froze solid. It was a strange feeling for Asami, seeing the ice over her leg, but not being able to feel the cold

Korra bent down and inspected her work, explaining, “I saw your knee lock when you started shifting your weight onto it, and you managed to stay up a little longer than you usually do. Then, I remembered something Katara taught me about how legs work, and thought ‘well, your leg can’t move or adjust enough to support you by itself, but what if it had some help?’ It’s worth a try, and if it doesn’t work, then no harm done.”

Asami gaped at the dark-skinned girl, “Korra, that’s a genius idea.”

Korra blushed as she stood again, and said, “Come on, try again. I know you don’t like me catching you when you fall, but if you fall, let me catch you this one time. Especially because you’re trying my idea.”

“Deal.” Asami replied. Setting down her crutch, she leaned on the bar again, grit her teeth and used her right hand to move her leg into position. Once more, she began shifting her weight from her left to her right. She prepared herself for the fall, but… one moment passed, then another, and another. She began to smile, when she lost her balance and fell. Korra was quick though and caught her before she hit the ground.

“Did you see that? That was longer than any of the other times!” Asami yelled.

Korra pulled her tightly into her arms, and said, “I saw! Asami, that was amazing!”

She bent the ice from Asami’s leg and helped her to the chair across from Kya. Asami was already looking for a piece of paper to sketch an idea on.

“Korra, you were definitely on the right track. Maybe we could make it the same way the police force metalbend their uniforms, and we just need to adjust the design and make it move the way the joints would and…" 

Korra became a bit confused with how fast Asami was talking, but she was happy all the same. It had been weeks since the industrialist had been so excited about anything, and as she kept talking, Kya began helping by explaining how the muscles in the leg worked, and what would possibly be the best way to help them.

* * *

They tried lots of different prototypes. Some helped Asami to stand a longer, while others caused her to lose her balance and fall even quicker. When they finally found one that seemed to work well enough for her to try taking a step with, both she and Korra couldn’t help but cry.

After months of healing and experimenting, more than half a year since the accident, and Asami was finally ready to walk around without her crutches, using only her brace.

The latest design of her leg brace had worked well enough that she was able to practice walking short distances and she’d built the leg muscles back up enough for her to try longer distances.

Every day, Asami got better. When she thought back to the period right after the accident, she was amazed that she’d come so far. She knew she would never recover full use of her leg again, but she was able to walk again, and keep up with Korra and her friends.

Korra too, was happy with all the progress Asami had made. She’d been worried when so much time had passed and Asami still couldn’t feel or move her leg, but Asami wasn’t the kind of person to give up so easily. And when Korra had that idea for a leg brace that would help Asami and people like her walk, she’d known that if anyone could make it something great, it was Asami.

Secretly, Korra was also glad that Asami was able to go back to work at Future Industries. Asami was terrible with bedrest. She would always complain that she was bored, she would try to push herself too far too soon, and Korra had been stressed out the entire time before Asami had gotten her crutches.

She could tell that Asami was still upset about not being able to drive anymore. Driving required two feet, one for the brake and gas, and one for the clutch, and though Asami’s brace allowed her to walk with her own, it didn’t grant her the control needed to handle the pedals. It had been tough for Asami to realize that she wouldn’t be able to drive anymore, but Korra should have realized the mechanist would find a way around it.

* * *

It had been several months since they’d gotten used to Asami’s leg brace. Asami had returned to work at her company and was glad to be back inventing and improving. While she had been recovering, she’d had plenty of ideas and sketches to keep her busy. She had come up with improvements to the Satomobile to make it safer for both race and everyday vehicles, she’d been working on improvements to the leg brace she’d made and was trying to get it to other people with limited mobility, and she’d had plenty of other half-baked ideas she wanted to work on.

It was one unassuming spring morning, when she had what she considered her best idea yet.

It was a clear morning, sunlight pouring in through the slats on her and Korra’s bedroom window. For once, Korra had slept in late and Asami was just barely on the edge of wakefulness. She’d had a nice dream, one where she was speeding down a long stretch of road, in her red roadster with the top down and Korra enjoying the breeze next to her. Strangely though, she didn’t recall driving the way she’d used to. She'd still had her brace on her right leg, but she wasn't controlling the gas and brake with her right foot. Instead, she'd been using her left foot and for some reason, she'd had the clutch behind the steering wheel.

She sat up abruptly, startling Korra awake.

“That’s it!” she shouted

.

Korra started awake, looking wildly around the room, her hair sticking up in every direction. “What?! What?! Asami? What’s wrong?” she asked.

Asami had grabbed her notepad and was sketching something out, not even hearing Korra’s questions. When she was finished, she grabbed her brace from beside the bed and began buckling it on while quickly explaining her dream to Korra. She rose and got dressed, barely pausing to press a kiss Korra’s forehead and tell her to get ready so they could go to the research and development warehouse.

When they got there, Asami was talking a mile a minute, and rushed off to find Michi, leaving Korra in the car, still half-asleep and trying to understand everything Asami had told her.


	5. Epilogue

**One year later…**

Everything had changed the day Asami had crashed on the racetrack and lost the use of her right leg. First, she’d been afraid she would never walk again. Then, she’d been afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep up with Korra and her friends because of it. Then, she’d been afraid she would never be able to drive again.

With Korra’s support and Kya’s help, she’d regained her ability to walk. Korra had never let her give up hope completely, and she’d been there for her through everything. Her friends had helped her and been there for her however she’d needed. And now, now she wasn't just going to drive again, she was going to race again.

She and Michi had worked tirelessly for the past year to reconfigure and improve her Satomobile. They’d improved safety measures on all Satomobiles, and custom built hers so that she could control the clutch with only a few fingers, using a gear shift tucked behind the steering wheel. They’d refit the gas and break pedals so that she could control them with her left foot, and now, after countless hours practicing and learning how to drive again, she was about to race for the first time since the accident. It was a simple race, only against Michi, and on the Sato test track, but she was bristling with excitement.

As she pulled her goggles over her eyes and drove up to the starting line, she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

She’d been born to drive, and she wasn’t letting anything stop her ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy to have been able to write this for @Writerleft. You have been such a huge part of the Korra community, and I hope this was able to entertain you for a bit while you recover.


End file.
